Ad hoc panel may tackle public transportation

NEW HAVEN  A proposal to create a commission that would examine citywide transportation safety cleared its first hurdle Wednesday before a Board of Aldermen committee.

Angela Carter

Published
12:00 am EST, Thursday, November 13, 2003

Green Party Alderwoman Joyce Chen, G-2, of Dwight, submitted a resolution calling for a public hearing on the quality of service provided by the Connecticut Transit bus system and creation of an ad hoc commission.

Most people attending the hearing Wednesday were critical of a proposed bus fare increase and supported naming a panel that would offer improvements to pedestrian and bicycle safety, and overall public transportation.

Chen said Connecticut Transit riders are disproportionately African-American and Hispanic, women with children, elderly on limited incomes and people with disabilities that prevent them from driving.

These patrons, she said, are facing discrimination in the form of increases that would raise cash fares from $1 to $1.10; all-day passes from $2.50 to $3; 10-trip tickets from $9 to $10; 7-day passes from $12 to $13.25; and 31-day passes from $38 to $40.

"Nobody cares, really, about a dime. A dime is nothing," said the Rev. Joseph Stanford, a Bella Vista resident who rides buses for everything from his ministry to grocery shopping.

"While people are fumbling around in their pockets for a dime, other people are going to be waiting out in the cold," Stanford said.

Philip Fry, assistant general manager for planning and marketing for Connecticut Transit, said in telephone interview that after a series of public hearings in Hartford, New Haven and Stamford, the agency modified its request for a 25 percent increase to about10 percent.

He said a combination of double digit increases in fuel costs and health care insurance, the agencys second biggest expense behind payroll, along with the state budget crisis and slight reductions in ridership, make the increases necessary.

Connecticut Transit is asking that the new rates take effect Jan. 4, and the state Regulatory Review Commission is expected to rule later this month, Fry said.

Other participants in the hearing said transportation improvements should include bike racks on buses, more biking lanes throughout the city, restoration of bus stops near the Green, and later hours for Connecticut Transit routes.

"One important idea is having the commission solicit user input," said Allan Brison. "Every dollar spent on public transportation is a dollar saved in public health."

The committee approved the resolution with changes and the full board votes next month. The proposed panel would be an ad hoc committee rather than a commission, and would have six months to submit a report to the Traffic Commission.